Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Szentendre

For one person, living is cheaper in Szentendre: $1,455 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,656
/mo nomad
Szentendre
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,455
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Szentendre

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Buenos Aires and in Szentendre actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,455 in Szentendre.

  • Buenos Aires $1,656
  • Szentendre $1,455

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $2,091 in Szentendre.

  • Buenos Aires $2,697
  • Szentendre $2,091

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,726 in Szentendre.

  • Buenos Aires $3,737
  • Szentendre $2,726

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 14% more expensive than in Szentendre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, Szentendre 8% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Szentendre
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.09 ARS 28.9K
$12.75 Ft 4,109
49.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 ARS 99.5K
$55.7 Ft 18.0K
18.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.20 ARS 20.0K
$9.05 Ft 2,916
45.86%
Cappuccino
$3.85 ARS 5,821
$2.67 Ft 860
44.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 ARS 3,010
$1.90 Ft 612
4.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ARS 2,422
$1.15 Ft 369
39.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.93 ARS 5,940
$3.32 Ft 1,071
18.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 ARS 6,979
$2.87 Ft 925
60.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Szentendre
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 ARS 2,264
$1.14 Ft 369
31.58%
White Bread (500g)
$2.53 ARS 3,825
$1.44 Ft 463
75.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 ARS 2,437
$2.33 Ft 752
-30.90%
Eggs
$2.84 ARS 4,302
$3.36 Ft 1,083
-15.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.30 ARS 15.6K
$11.26 Ft 3,628
-8.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.1K
$6.07 Ft 1,958
64.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.30 ARS 20.1K
$13.74 Ft 4,428
-3.20%
Apples (1kg)
$2.88 ARS 4,351
$1.91 Ft 615
50.79%
Banana (1kg)
$2.20 ARS 3,323
$2.11 Ft 680
4.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 ARS 2,113
$2.02 Ft 652
-30.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 ARS 2,994
$3.80 Ft 1,226
-47.89%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 ARS 1,829
$1.01 Ft 324
19.80%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 ARS 1,904
$0.98 Ft 317
28.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.71 ARS 2,583
$1.55 Ft 501
10.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 ARS 2,595
$0.53 Ft 170
224.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.29 ARS 6,484
$7.84 Ft 2,526
-45.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.70 ARS 8,617
$5.97 Ft 1,924
-4.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.17 ARS 3,277
$1.27 Ft 409
70.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ARS 4,174
$1.63 Ft 525
69.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Szentendre
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,137
$1.19 Ft 384
-36.97%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.27 ARS 41.3K
$28.79 Ft 9,280
-5.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.57 ARS 2,367
$3.03 Ft 976
-48.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 ARS 1,553
$1.39 Ft 448
-25.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.90 ARS 11.9K
$18.38 Ft 5,924
-57.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ARS 2,153
$1.91 Ft 617
-25.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K ARS 42.3M
$28.9K Ft 9.3M
-3.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.0K ARS 52.9M
$33.7K Ft 10.9M
3.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Szentendre
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$195 ARS 295.2K
$153 Ft 49.4K
27.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.16 ARS 38.0K
$30.94 Ft 9,973
-18.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.54 ARS 47.7K
$23.11 Ft 7,448
36.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Szentendre
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.9 ARS 77.0K
$45.59 Ft 14.7K
11.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.73 ARS 25.3K
$19.51 Ft 6,288
-14.25%
Cinema Ticket
$10.34 ARS 15.6K
$7.78 Ft 2,507
32.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Szentendre
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$463 ARS 700.9K
$493 Ft 159.0K
-6.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,793 ARS 13.3M
$16.3K Ft 5.3M
-46.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Szentendre
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$120 ARS 181.2K
$89.6 Ft 28.9K
33.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$95.5 ARS 144.4K
$27.81 Ft 8,965
243.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ARS 172.6K
$99.0 Ft 31.9K
15.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 ARS 210.7K
$105 Ft 33.9K
32.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Szentendre
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$756 ARS 1.1M
$613 Ft 197.6K
23.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$520 ARS 786.2K
$560 Ft 180.6K
-7.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,590 ARS 2.4M
$770 Ft 248.1K
106.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,198 ARS 1.8M
$690 Ft 222.5K
73.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,713 ARS 4.1M
$3,102 Ft 999.9K
-12.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,901 ARS 2.9M
$3,848 Ft 1.2M
-50.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Szentendre
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$938 ARS 1.4M
$1,545 Ft 498.0K
-39.30%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
57.25
6.45
787.60%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Szentendre: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$520
Szentendre
$560 7.8% $40
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$283
Szentendre
$242 14.5% $41
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$282
Szentendre
$196 30.5% $86
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$252
Szentendre
$207 17.7% $45
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$211
Szentendre
$145 31.4% $66
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$72
Szentendre
$61 14.6% $10
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Szentendre
$44 17.7% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $613 in Szentendre. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Szentendre pays 65% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $56.0 in Szentendre for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $242 per month, with Szentendre cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇭🇺 Szentendre
🕒 Local time
14:42 2:42 PM
19:42 7:42 PM
5 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
28,444
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 1,513 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.61 USD). 1 EUR = 1,696 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 322 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 362 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Szentendre 11,950 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Szentendre

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Buenos Aires vs Szentendre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Szentendre?
Buenos Aires and Szentendre differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,455 including rent). Szentendre is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 65% lower in Szentendre. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Buenos Aires and in Szentendre?
Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $613 in Szentendre. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Buenos Aires and Szentendre?
Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $493 in Szentendre. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $1,455 in Szentendre versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Szentendre but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Szentendre the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Szentendre?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is Buenos Aires or Szentendre safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Szentendre are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Buenos Aires or Szentendre?
Expats usually find Szentendre gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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